Crime in decline

COEUR d’ALENE — Crime is at historic lows in Coeur d’Alene.

Thefts, burglaries, DUIs, vandalism and child abuse all declined from 2021 to 2022, according to the police department’s 2022 annual report.

Part 1 crimes, which include aggravated assault, arson, robbery and rape, declined from 779 in 2021 to 727 in 2022, with a city population of about 55,000.

If you go back to 1999, Coeur d’Alene had 2,229 Part 1 crimes with a population of about 34,000.

So, more people today, but less crime?

Police Chief Lee White credits an “intelligence-led policing model,” initiated with his arrival in 2014, and a dedicated police force.

“The men and women of your police department are doing fantastic work,” White said.

City police recorded 2,134 Part 1 and Part 2 crime arrests in 2022, compared to 3,087 in 2017.

Part 2 crimes include drugs, assaults, vandalism, alcohol offenses and trespassing.

Adult arrests were down to 1,801 in 2022 from 2,332 in 2021, while juvenile arrests totaled 333, well down from 450 in 2018, but up from 256 in 2021.

Coeur d’Alene recorded 591 property crimes in 2022, down nearly 50% from 1,162 in 2017 and the lowest in six years.

“Our PD under the leadership of Lee White has totally reversed crime trends,” wrote Councilwoman Christie Wood, who retired as a sergeant from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department in 2015 after 26 years of service. "We are lucky to live in a city with such low crime rates.”

Coeur d’Alene has a total police force of 117.5, with 96 sworn officers and 21.5 civilian staff.

But White does not use them for “random patrols,” which he said result in “random results.”

Coeur d'Alene police are more targeted in their approach.

White said two members of the department are assigned to crime analysis. Their task is to look at short- and long-term crime trends, see what is happening, when and where and then patrol accordingly.

“Focus on where you are experiencing crime,” White said.

It’s not just a matter of fewer criminals coming to Coeur d’Alene.

“I think we’re doing a pretty good job of displacing crime,” White said. “All of this is the direct result of the hard work from the men and women in uniform."

The department’s culture also has a lot to do with it.

Police make it a priority to build community ties and earn trust. Officers do that by routinely getting out of their vehicles and engaging citizens and responding quickly to service calls.

“It’s those community interactions” that result in citizens telling officers about possible criminal activity, which helps police pinpoint their efforts, White said.

"This is what we’re after," he said.

The police department website has a Community Crime Map that indicates where and what type of crime is happening for the public to review.

Crimes in Coeur d'Alene that increased in 2022 from 2021 include: Assault, 478 from 423; drugs, 1,097 from 1,061; harassment, 63 from 33; weapon offense, 56 from 46; rape, 42 from 38.

Areas that decreased were DUIs, 429 from 560; residential burglary, 43 from 62; child abuse, 94 from 133; and intimidation, 53 from 75.

White said police have a great relationship with the community.

“People are not afraid to tell us about something suspicious,” he said.

Police in the city had 38,710 calls for service in 2022, down from 42,556 last year and 44,570 in 2017.

Twenty-two percent of calls, 8,328, were for public assistance, while 16%, 6,290, were for traffic accidents and abandoned vehicles. There were 2,297 service calls for animal problems.

Officer-initiated activity — contact between the public and law enforcement that is not a direct response to a call for service, such as a traffic stop or business check — totaled 18,560 in 2022, up from 13,494 in 2017.

In some major cities, citizens won’t bother to report a crime, White said, but that's not the case in Coeur d‘Alene.

“The relationship we have with our community is different than a lot of places," he said. "It does help our crime-fighting efforts."

Mayor Jim Hammond was pleased.

“Thank you for your leadership in getting us there," he told White.